Saving Snoddy
by skittery's bad mood
Summary: Something is wrong with Snoddy, and Skittery wants to cheer him up.


Disclaimer: I don't own newsies.

Saving Snoddy by: Skitts – the not so serious half of Skittery's bad mood

"Good headliner today!" Skittery said excitedly, sitting down next to Snoddy, who was busy browsing the morning paper.

"How can you call dis good, Skitts?"

Skittery looked at his friend, wondering why exactly he would ask such a silly question. Then he figured Snoddy was probably just joking...not that Snoddy ever really joked about anything, but maybe today was different. So with this conclusion, Skittery laughed.

The laughing thing didn't quite go over well with Snoddy who sent him a glare so malicious that Skittery wondered if maybe Snoddy wasn't joking after all.

"You're jokin', right, Snoddy?"

"How can you think I'm joking?"

Okay, what was with all of the weird questions? Snoddy was so complicated and confusing sometimes.

"Is there somethin' wrong?"

"Does it—"

"Alright! Enough wit da weird questions already. Snoddy, what's da mattah?"

Snoddy sighed and then folded his newspaper back up. "I just don't see much good in da world anymore."

Skittery stared at him blankly. That couldn't seriously be the problem. "Dat ain't seriously da problem, is it?"

Once again, there was that look. "Skittery, when I look through dis pape, all I see is death and destruction."

"I know! It's great, ain't it? I love the part—"

"You just don't get it." Snoddy stood up and walked away with head hanging. Skittery stared down at his friend's abandoned paper. He flipped through the pages just like Snoddy had.

It was when he had finished reading an article about a little boy who knocked squirrels out of a tree with a sling shot, that Skittery had an idea. He knew exactly what would cheer up his friend. He folded the paper back up, (okay he didn't exactly fold it, he more like, left it there in a crumpled mess, but he did put it back where he found it...okay maybe not EXACTLY where he had found it, but it was in the general vicinity, like on the ground maybe. One thing was for sure. If Snoddy were to return right this moment, he would have found his paper, after only a little bit of searching.) and then ran as fast as he could to David's house.

"Hi!" David greeted him cheerfully as he pulled open the door to his apartment. It suddenly dawned on Skittery what a great invention doors were. What if David had been changing? Skittery hugged the door as well as he could, an action which earned him a quizzical glare from David. "What can I do for you, Skittery?"

Skittery was wary for a moment. How had David known that he was here to ask him for a favor? Quickly he thought about the answer to David's question just to make sure that David could not in fact, read minds.

David looked at him oddly again. "Would you like some milk?"

Skittery shook his head. "Dis ain't da time for chit-chat, Davey. I needs your help. Snoddy's happiness depends on it."

At the seriousness of Skittery's statement, David perked up. "I'll do anything I can to help."

Skittery smiled. "I'm sure Snoddy will forever be grateful." They sat in silence for a moment longer, and then David said, "So?"

Skittery leaned closer and lowered his voice dramatically. Drama always increased the suspense in a situation. "I hear youse can sew."

There was that look again. And then, "So?"

"Yeah, sew. So, I need youse to sew somethin' for me?"

"What are we talking about here?."

"Here. Let me draw ya a picture." Skittery pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Snoddy had always advised him to carry one, you never knew when you would get caught in the rain and need a piece of paper to cover your hair with. Snoddy was always proud of his hair. Thoughts of Snoddy reminded Skittery of his friend's decreasing cheerfulness and Skittery directed his focus back to the situation at hand. David handed him a pencil.

Skittery sketched. He labeled everything. He added colors, well the ones he knew how to spell anyway, not necessarily with the correct spelling, but David would get the main idea. When he was done, he handed the paper to David who stared at it. And stared at it. And then he stared at it some more and Skittery began to get a little annoyed.

"Can ya help me or not?" Skittery demanded. "Here youse sit, starin' and starin' and all da while Snoddy is gettin' sadder and sadder."

"Alright, alright." David glanced at the paper again, making very sure not to stare and then sighed. "I'll do it. But I'll need time."

"How much time are we talkin' here? 'Cause here youse sit talkin' about time and all da while—"

David put a hand up to silence Skittery. "I get it." He paused to consider Skittery's question. "Come back tomorrow at noon. It should be ready then."

Skittery grinned. "Thanks, Dave. I owe ya." Skittery stood up and then marched to the door which he opened, patted gratefully and then closed behind him once he was in the hallway. "Tomorrow at noon had better come quickly," he said.

Tomorrow morning came before tomorrow at noon, and once again, Skittery found himself sitting beside a less than cheerful Snoddy, who was normally more cheerful than Skittery. Of course that wasn't saying much, because _everyone_ was usually more cheerful than Skittery.

"So, da headlines are pretty bad t'day, huh?" Skittery waited for a reply. Snoddy just sighed. Skittery was pretty sure that was Snoddy's 'yeah, you're right like you always are' sigh.

"What if good stuff happened, Snoddy? Den would ya be happy again?" Snoddy sighed again. That sigh had Skittery stumped.

Snoddy left again like he had the day before, without his paper. Skittery wondered if tomorrow at noon was soon. He didn't have a watch and had no way of knowing. He decided to go to David's house early, just in case.

David pulled open the door which Skittery once again paid his respects to, though he found hugging a door to be extremely uncomfortable. He hoped his visits to David could end after today.

"So? How did it turn out?" Skittery asked excitedly, stepping inside.

"I think you'll be quite satisfied with the results."

Results. That sounded good. David picked up a small, square piece of material and handed it to Skittery. "Here you go."

Skittery oohed and ahhed at the magnificent craftsmanship. It was the most perfect piece of square material he had ever seen. It had every color that Skittery could spell, or mostly spell. "Dis will definitely cheer 'im up." Skittery rubbed his face on the soft material. "Wouldn't it be great if doors felt like this?" he asked.

David stared at him, befuddled. "Uh. Sure, Skittery."

Satisfied, Skittery thanked David as politely and thankfully as he could and then left the apartment, leaving the door with a final goodbye. Skittery hurried down the stairs, jumped the last few of them and exited the building. He focused on the task. He had to cheer up Snoddy.

Skittery was hiding behind a large pile of something he couldn't identify in a dark alley deep in the heart of Manhattan, incredibly far from safety. Any moment now, something was bound to happen. It was dark after all, and he was in an alley. An alley in the heart of Manhattan, far, far away from safety. Skittery shuddered. What in the world was he doing out here?

A stirring at the end of the alley suddenly reminded him that Snoddy needed him. And if Snoddy needed him, then by George (whoever that was) Skittery was going to be there for him. The stirring continued. It came closer. And soon Skittery realized that the stirring was being done by a shadowy figure, most likely a man. Skittery took a deep breath and then leapt out from his hiding spot. "What do ya think you're doin'?" he growled in the most menacing and scary voice he could manage.

The man didn't say anything, just stared and stared. Frankly, Skittery was getting a little tired of all the staring. Then he scolded himself. Perhaps the man was just too awed by Skittery's fantastic cape. Skittery turned a little to the side, to display the fantastic-ness of it. The man kept staring. "I asked ya a question," Skittery paused for dramatic effect. "Punk."

"Look, kid, I dunno who you are, but I don't have any money." The man began to back away slowly, his hands in the air.

"Ah-ha! Denial is da first sign of guiltiness!"

"You're crazy, kid!"

"And you're busted!" Skittery charged. The man turned heel and began to run. He was fast. Very fast, but Skittery was determined and no amount of speed could outlast his determination.

"Help!" the man yelled, as Skittery chased him through the streets. "Help me, please!"

The man's cries alerted some police nearby who had been chatting on a street corner. The police observed the chase and then snapped into action. It's about time, Skittery thought. The man in front of him stopped suddenly, causing Skittery to plow into the back of him. Skittery stumbled, and landed in a heap, his cape tangled around him.

"Arrest this mad man," the man ordered. When Skittery finally got himself untangled, he realized that the man was pointing to him.

"No," said Skittery. "Arrest him. He's da criminal."

"He attacked me in the alley."

"You were clearly up ta no good. What were ya doin' in a dark alley, in da heart of Manhattan, in da middle of da night, far, far away from safety?"

"I was goin' home."

"Sure you was goin' home. What would a rich fella like you be doin' livin' in an alley?"

"I don't live IN the alley, idiot child. I live above it. I was trying to get to my stairs."

Skittery paused for a second. Then he turned to the cops. "Clearly he's delu- delu- uh, clearly he's makin' things up."

The cops looked at each other and then at Skittery. A split second later, Skittery was on the ground, his hands behind his back. "What are ya doin'?" Skittery demanded.

"We're takin' you in, kid."

"No! You can't! I have to help Snoddy!" Skittery's voice faded into the night as the cops dragged him back to the jailhouse.

Snoddy and Kloppman were there the next morning. "What happened?" Snoddy asked, as one of the officers unlocked Skittery's cell and let him out. "Why did you attack dat guy?"

"I thought that if I stopped him from doin' somethin' bad, you'd be happy again." Skittery removed his small cape, and hung his head. He sniffled.

Snoddy put an arm around his friend's shoulder. "I think I was wrong, Skitts."

Skittery looked up.

"See, I sometimes get depressed when I read da papes cause of all da bad stuff dat happens. But I sometimes forget that good stuff happens too. Like friendship."

Skittery smiled. Snoddy smiled back. It was at that precise moment that Snoddy noticed, really noticed, Skittery's cape for the first time. "What is dat?"

"Oh, dis?" Skittery held up the small cape. "It was my cape."

"Was?"

"Yeah. I realized last night that it makes a much better blanket."

Snoddy touched the silky, fuzzy material. "You know what would be nice, Skitts?"

"What?"

"If we had a door made outta this."


End file.
